CV Show Success - now the hard work starts!

Well the CV Show has come and gone for another year and now that we've had a bit of time to analyze the event, we've concluded that it was a very successful three days indeed. We'll be back again next year.

There was plenty of interest in axle weighing but also a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and confidence generally. The organisers will say that the attendance was up, they always do, but there were certainly plenty of people around and lots of people to talk to and a good sign of a busy exhibition is how quickly the time went.

From a company who has five 7.5t vehicles delivering sundries to take-aways to a company loading 44t tankers with waste at ports, we had a wide range of applications, vehicles, locations and problems to solve. However the initial chat on the exhibition stand are only the beginning of a long process of understanding the exact requirement, visiting the customer and seeing what he's doing and where.

The CV Show 2014 - Axle Weighbridge Systems Galore!

And that also shows the importance of having a real breadth of products, peripherals and software so that we can offer the right solution for the job. The take-away guy will benefit from OnBoard Indicators as his drivers are on multi-drop work and the load distribution will be changing all the time. The tanker operator though probably needs to look at a dynamic axle weighbridge so that he can maximise his loads before leaving the port.

Unsurprisingly both of those potential customers approached us with an idea of what they wanted to achieve but were unsure of the best solution. They had though both had conversations with people offering the wrong solution. Any company that has a limited number of axle weighing options will not be able to offer impartial advice on the correct system for the job

Impartiality is very important. We will always offer the best solution for the job not just the cheapest to try and make a quick sale. We feel that's a very short term way of doing business. It's certainly not a good way of getting repeat business and does our reputation no good at all

Often we have to tell a customer what he doesn't want to hear - that the solution to his problem is more expensive than he thought. And in many cases over the years we've walked away from an application when we either don't have the correct solution or the customer is not prepared to invest what is needed to do the job properly.

We take axle weighing very seriously and have invested heavily in equipment and manpower to make sure that we do the very best very time we supply a system whether it be a single OnBoard Load Indicator or a complex axle weighbridge system.

And we take the time to thoroughly investigate what the requirement is and explain what the best solution is and how it will benefit the customer in the end.

We understand that, quite rightly, that can be a long process and we have no doubt we'll still be speaking to some of this years new enquiries when next years CV Show rolls round again.

Find everything for the transport industry (including axle weighbridges!) at the CV Show 2014

It hardly seems five minutes since we were last at the NEC for the CV Show but here were are again less than a week away from the 2014 event.

We'll be on stand 4K58 by the way so feel free to come along and say hello.

In fact, there really is only one place to be if you're in the transport industry next week. Everything to do with transport - trucks, trailers, tyres, insurance and of course axle weighing systems will all be there.

Exhibitions are still the best way to meet new people and discuss new ideas and ways of doing things. There's still nothing quite like a face to face meeting, illustrating technical points with a hand drawn sketch and getting a real feel for a customers operation and needs.

We've found over the years that some people read every bit of mail they get, some respond to adverts in the press but an awful lot of people come to exhibitions. And for good reason - often it's simply not possible to discuss and specify a technical product via email or text however much some people think it is. A face to face meeting and seeing the product first hand is always the best way.

Customers have made a conscious decision to come to the show, to see what's new and talk business with potential suppliers. Many of them come to see a specific product or supplier. They have taken the trouble to leave their own business for a day to find out what is new and can benefit them in the future.

Or maybe they have a specific problem and are unsure of the best solution?

One such customer visited us with a vague idea about needing to weigh his vehicles but having spoken to a company who only supplied load cell based OnBoard weighing systems, he thought that nothing that made economic sense was available to him. The cost of retrofitting about fifty 7.5 tonners with load cells, even if it were technically possible, was considerable and that was without allowing for the time each one was going to be off the road.

Is this static axle weighbridge the right one for your needs?

He approached us at the Show a couple of years ago looking for a solution and after discussing his requirements in detail, it transpired that he didn't need OnBoard weighers at all but a simple Single-Axle Static weighbridge in his yard. Total cost around £7,500.00 and a far cry from the £250,000.00 he had been quoted. Obviously the lower figure was much easier get passed the finance director.

More importantly, he bought the right system for his needs. Fully loaded 7.5 tonners taking products from his factory to garden centres with no multi-drop work really only needed to be check weighed before they left his site.

So if you need advice on what is the right, and most cost effective, system for your needs, head down to the CV Show at the NEC next week. Even if it's not an axle weighing system you're looking for, there will almost certainly be an expert there with the solution for you.

So how accurate is your system?

There are some very confusing phrases used to describe accuracy of weighing systems. 

Sometimes deliberately to hide the fact that a machine isn't actually that accurate. What exactly does OIML R60 Class IIII Approved mean for instance? It sounds impressive but it's not a very clear way of describing the accuracy of the system. In fact R60 is a standard that refers only to the load cells used not the whole machine

Our dynamic axle weighbridges for instance are certified to OIML standard R134, Class I and Class 0.5 depending upon what they are being used for. The R134 standard is a much better indication of how good the weighing machine is as it refers to the system's overall accuracy. But even then just simply quoting what appear an impressive set of numbers doesn't tell the whole story.

You could buy a system with the most accurate load cells on the planet but if it's been installed incorrectly, the system as a whole simply won't weigh accurately. But if the whole system has to achieve a required standard after a test on site then you can be sure the accuracy is right.

The most accurate axle weighbridge in the world.

Something else some companies do that sounds impressive is to promise a factory deadweight test to capacity. Given that the approach concrete for a dynamic axle weighbridge is a vital part of the system which has a direct bearing on the accuracy, testing a system at the factory is only a small part of ensuring accuracy.

We visited a customer a while back who had bought an axle weighing system from a competitor. Despite only weighing 2-axle rigid vehicles, the easiest to weigh accurately, and the original manufacturers changing the load cells and weight display completely, the system was always inaccurate.

However, with our specialist knowledge it took us about 30 seconds to establish what was causing the problem and suggest the solution. And it was nothing to do with the accuracy being claimed for the system which we are sure was correct when it left the factory.

Most companies quote accuracy as a percentage. But a percentage of what? The capacity of the machine is the answer. So a system with a 40,000kg capacity and a 1% accuracy could be as much as 400kg in error and still be within specification. Or potentially 800kg when weighing a 2-axle vehicle.

Usually, VOSA will take action on overloads of 10% or more. But they use the gross weight of the vehicle to calculate their percentage. So a 3,500kg van should not be more than 350kg over that limit. 

So an axle weighbridge with a 40,000kg capacity and 1% accuracy could advise that that van is legal when in fact it is on the brink of a prosecution.

And what of our R134 Class 1 and Class 0.5 accuracy? They mean that our system can weigh to within 0.5% or 0.25% respectively depending upon the application.

And with a capacity of 15,000kg, more than adequate for the largest road going vehicles, that means we would weigh your 2-axle van to within 75kg or 37.5kg. Making our system the most accurate of its type in the world and ensuring your vehicles do not leave your site overloaded.

But sometimes weighpads are ideal!

Having spent a fair bit of time explaining how weighpads are not always the best system to use for weighing axles, there are circumstances where they are absolutely the very best option.

We have many customers who use them very successfully but it’s after all the other options have been thoroughly explored, the customer is operating right vehicles for use with weighpads and full and thorough training has been done.

We had one such enquiry only last week. The customer is running 3.5t and 7.5t vehicles delivering specialist products to all parts of the country. With two locations on the same industrial estate it would seem that the obvious choice would be the Axtec OnBoard Load Indicator.

Fitted to the vehicle, it goes everywhere the vehicle does and instantly shows the driver his front and rear axle weights and gross weight and alerts him to any overloads.

However, at peak times, when vehicles are likely to be at their heaviest, the company hires in vans for short periods.

Those vehicles need protecting from overloading as well but as they only have them for a short period, fitting an OnBoard Load Indicator is not an option.

A fixed Static Axle Weighbridge, a variant of the systems we supply to VOSA but designed specifically for 2-axle rigids, is a possible solution. But which of the company’s two sites should it be installed at? And could the drivers be relied upon to drive from one site to another, weigh their vehicle and drive back to get any overload corrected?

They ought to obviously but human nature being what it is, they may take the line of least resistance and just take the chance they won’t get caught. It’s odds on that it’ll be that one heavy vehicle which gets stopped in a weight check and, as their industrial estate is only three miles away from a VOSA check site, the risks are quite high.

Portable Weighpads - sometimes the ideal solution!

The solution for this customer is a pair of portable weighpads. Lightweight, not that they need to be as these guys lift and shift some quite heavy equipment, and portable they are ideal for moving between the two locations. So management can take them to the vehicle rather than rely on the drivers.

The hired in vehicles can be weighed as well without any modifications to the vehicles and after full training to ensure they are used correctly the pads will provide an effective protection against overloading for their fleet. And with a fleet comprising of only 2-axle rigids they are the ideal user for portable weighpads.

More than anything this enquiry demonstrates the benefit of getting good advice and taking the time to thoroughly think through what your operation needs and what the best long term solution is.

And the end result is another satisfied customer.

Portable weighpads - not always the best, cheapest option

Just about every enquiry we receive touches on the subject of portable weighpads. 

Whatever type of vehicle people want to weigh and in whatever circumstances they are often seen as a quick, simple and above all cheap method of weighing axles.

In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.

Portable weighpads are superb in some applications and we have many customers who use them very successfully. They are perfect for weighing 2-axle rigid vehicles especially where more than one depot needs a temporary weighing solution.

But other than that, their usefulness is quite limited.

Even when weighing 2-axle rigids, the ideal vehicle for them remember, someone needs to make sure the pads are charged up ready for use, they need to be kept under lock and key, after all they’re inherently portable and easy to carry, and someone needs to make sure area the weighing is being done on is flat and level and to supervise the weighing to ensure it is done correctly.

Portable axle pads weighing a larger vehicle 

All of this is multiplied the more axles you need to weigh. For a start there are more weighpads to be kept safe and charged up. And of course someone has to carry all of them  out to the weighing area and position them.

A customer recently purchased three sets of weighpads from us, against our best advice, to weigh large 3-axle rigid vehicles. Technically this is possible but it’s extremely hard work.

We received a call a couple of weeks after the pads had been delivered to say that there was a discrepancy of around 750kg between the weighpads and a local weighbridge. So we sent someone out to make sure the pads were in good order and being used correctly.

Unsurprisingly  it was method error that was causing the problem. Simply placing the pads on the floor in front of the axles, driving the vehicle up onto them and taking a reading is not enough when weighing a bigger vehicle.

It actually took three people almost an hour to get the vehicle weighed correctly and produce an accurate result. This was nothing to do with any deficiency with the weighpads which worked perfectly throughout but simply because it takes that much time, effort and manpower to do it correctly.

So, far from being a cheap, simple solution to the problem, to achieve an accurate weight takes plenty of time and manpower plus of course the cost of enough weighpads to support the whole vehicle in one go.

The cost of the correct axle weighbridge to weigh those vehicles incidentally would have been about the same as all those weighpads.

We’re happy to talk to anyone about portable weighpads and especially happy to point them in the direction of customers who have experience of using them both in the right and wrong circumstances.

Some things worth knowing.

It's still surprising what some people don't know about vehicle weights. And sometimes the axle weighing systems on the market don't help.

Some people don't appreciate that the vehicle weights are shown in kilogrammes on the plating certificate.

To avoid any confusion, we always show the weight in kilogrammes on our displays so they appear in the same format as the vehicle plate. Some systems don't and quite a few imported ones show weights in lbs.

Axle Weighbridge showing weight in kilogrammes.

Other people may not know the  difference between GVW and GTW.

For anyone wondering, GVW is the Gross Vehicle Weight is the maximum permitted weight of the vehicle including the load whilst the GTW is the Gross Train Weight is the maximum permitted weight of the vehicle, any trailer and its load.

With so many options available to weigh axles it's surprising how many people still rely on the declared weight of the consignment. Even more surprising given that its the operator doing the hauling and his driver who are responsible for any overloads not the consignor.

Our advice would be to never ever trust any weights you are provided with and to make sure you weigh the vehicle.

There is though the possibility that the consignor can be charged with causing and permitting the vehicle to be overloaded.

Whether making the consignor liable or not is another debate but because an overload  affects all the major components of the vehicle - suspension, tyres, steering, clutch, brakes - it ought to be in the interests of everyone who transports goods to avoid it.

Some may be tempted to overload a vehicle as they think they are saving money by doing fewer trips but exactly the reverse is true. Tyre wear will be greater, fuel consumption will be higher and by wearing out the clutch, brakes and steering components quicker you'll need to make expensive repairs sooner than you were expecting.

There is also the possibility that driving a vehicle in an overloaded condition can invalidate the insurance. After all, the Construction and Use regulations clearly state that “all parts and accessories and the weight distribution, packing and adjustment of their loads shall be such that no danger is likely to be caused to any person in or on the vehicle or trailer or on the road.”

All this plus the fact that it's potentially fatal even. We've been involved in more than one investigation into fatal accidents where we've been asked to weigh the vehicles involved.

And as companies have a duty of care under the Health & Safety legislation, it is down to managers to make sure that they are not putting their drivers, fellow work colleagues and even members of the public at risk by overloading their vehicles.

The bottom line is that an operator ought to understand how the weight is recorded on the plating certificate, have a weighing system with an identical display so there is no confusion and know exactly what his vehicle and/or trailer can carry.

We have a vast range of systems available and can recommend the correct one for you vehicle and your needs.

The overloading perils of 7.5 tonners.

One of the most frequently overloaded trucks is the 7.5t 2-axle rigid. The low axle weight limits on these vehicles make them notoriously easy to overload, especially the front axle.

Although it's largely felt in the industry that this weight of vehicle is in decline, replaced with either 3.5t,  4.5t or larger 2-axle rigids depending upon the application, the number of 7.5 tonners registered actually increased in 2013. The overall numbers are still way down on on their hey day when they accounted for almost a third of the light truck market but they are still on the road in significant numbers.

Clearly someone has a need for them but the problems of getting the axle weights right still remain. Pull back the curtain on a 7.5 tonner and, assuming it's legally laden, there will be an awfully lot of fresh air. And it is surprising how many people still think that all of that 'space' is usable. The truth is that the amount you can legally get on a 7.5 tonner is actually quite small.

This 7.5 tonner is actually fully loaded!

One of The perthe most common problems is front axle overloading when these vehicles are being used on multi-drop work. The natural tendency is to put loads right behind the headboard which is fine if weight is then placed behind the back axle. But as soon as that weight on the rear is removed there is a real danger that the front axle will become overloaded.

It can be a tricky concept to grasp. How can removing some load cause the vehicle to be overload? Surely the weight has decreased? Yes the overall weight has decreased but the weight on the front axle has increased.

It's basically a see-saw effect with the rear axle as the pivot point. If you put weight behind the back axle, it will reduce the weight on the front axle. Take that weight away and the front axle weight increases, put it back on and the front axle weight will decrease again. We refer to it as a diminishing load problem; despiute the fact the overall weight is dropping, the front axle weight is increasing.

It's exactly what happens when one person gets of a see-saw - the other person is lowered to the ground. If that person gets back on the see-saw again then, assuming they weigh the same or more, the person who stayed on will be raised again.

Our OnBoard Load Indicator we developed with the 7.5t market in mind. A display that shows front, rear and gross weight all the time with no operator input, it was specifically designed for vehicle on multi-drop work where the axle weights can change throughout the day.

The Axtec OnBoard is keenly priced and can be fitted in half a day. The costs of having a vehicle prohibited at a weight check could be enormous and far in excess of protecting the vehicle from the very common common diminishing load problem.

If overloading your 7.5 tonners is easy, the solution could be quite simple too.